PhD Program

Minimum Admission Requirements

• Applicants are admitted under the General Regulations of the School of Graduate Studies. Applicants must also satisfy the Department of English's additional admission requirements stated below.

• Normally, applicants have a master's degree in English from a recognized university, with an average grade equivalent to at least a University of Toronto A– in the applicant's overall program.

• Applicants must satisfy the department that they are capable of independent research in English at an advanced level.

• Recommendations from two referees.

• A writing sample of not more than 5,000 words (approximately 15 to 20 pages).

• A statement of purpose.

• A curriculum vitae (CV).

• Applicants whose primary language is not English and who graduated from a university where the language of instruction and examination was not English are required to write the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL). Minimum scores required are:

  • 600 on the paper-based test and 5 on the Test of Written English (TWE)

  • 100/120 on the Internet-based test, with at least 22/30 on the writing and speaking sections

• Admission to the PhD is based on the applicant's undergraduate and graduate records and upon the evidence of the references, writing sample, and statement.

• Admissions are selective; possession of minimum qualifications does not guarantee admission.

Completion Requirements

• Students pursue a program of study and research approved by the department.

Courses

• The minimum coursework requirements for the degree, a total of 3.75 full-course equivalents (FCEs), are as follows:

  • Year 1: ENG9400H Essential Skills Workshop Series. This course is required unless ENG8000H (no longer active) or equivalent course has already been taken.

  • Either Year 2 or Year 3: ENG9900H Teaching Literature

  • 3.0 additional graduate FCEs in English, as approved by the department

• Every student must select at least 2.0 FCEs outside the chosen research area in the course of their graduate training. The student is encouraged to combine these courses into a minor research area. Graduate courses taken as part of the master's program may be counted in this connection, but not ENG6999Y Critical Topographies: Theory and Practice of Contemporary Literary Studies in English nor Credit/No Credit courses in the 9000 series.

• Course selection must meet the approval of the department.

Language Requirement

• Demonstrated reading knowledge of French by May 31 of Year 3 of registration.

• With the permission of the department, another language (including Old English) may be substituted for French provided that this other language is required by the student's research area. The completion of this requirement is recorded on the transcript with the course code LRQ7777Y and the subtitle given of the language undertaken to fulfil this requirement.

• The supervisory committee may require the student to qualify in other program-related languages as well.

Special Fields Examination

• Students are required to pass a Special Fields Examination. The examination has three components:

  • A written examination, based on a reading list drawn up in consultation with the supervisory committee

  • A short position paper, in which the student articulates the argument and stakes of the proposed thesis in light of the preparation for this written examination

  • An oral examination that engages in part with the written examination and in part with the position paper

• Students generally take the Special Fields Examination no later than the end of the second session of Year 2. A second attempt of the Special Fields Examination is allowed on the recommendation of the student's committee.

• The student must have completed all requirements for the degree, exclusive of thesis research, by the end of Year 3 in order to remain in good standing in the program.

Thesis

• A candidate is required to submit a thesis on an approved subject embodying the results of original investigation which constitute a significant contribution to the knowledge of the field, and to pass an oral examination on the subject of the thesis. The normal length of a PhD thesis is approximately 75,000 words. The maximum length accepted by the department is 100,000 words.

• No later than May 15 of Year 1 of registration, the student must submit to the Associate Director, PhD, a preliminary thesis proposal, approved by the prospective supervisor. The Associate Director, PhD, appoints a supervisory committee that includes a supervisor and two other faculty members with expertise in the proposed research area. The student is required to meet with the supervisory committee within three months of submitting the preliminary proposal. An approved thesis proposal signed by all members of the supervisory committee and by the Associate Director, PhD, must be submitted by October 1 of Year 2 of registration.

• The student and the supervisor should meet regularly. The student is also required to meet at least once a year with the supervisory committee. The supervisory committee should normally approve the completed thesis before it is submitted for examination.

• The Doctoral Final Oral Examination is arranged by the department in collaboration with the School of Graduate Studies. The candidate should allow at least 10 weeks from submission of the thesis for the department to complete the arrangements for the oral examination.

Mode of Delivery: In person
Program Length: 4 years full-time (typical registration sequence: Continuous)
Time Limit: 6 years full-time

 

PhD Program (Direct-Entry)

Minimum Admission Requirements

• Applicants are admitted under the General Regulations of the School of Graduate Studies. Applicants must also satisfy the Department of English's additional admission requirements stated below.

• In exceptional cases, applicants with an appropriate bachelor's degree from a recognized university that includes at least 8.0 full-course equivalents (FCEs) in English, with an average grade equivalent to at least a University of Toronto A– in the applicant's overall program may be considered for admission (direct entry).

• Applicants must satisfy the department that they are capable of independent research in English at an advanced level.

• Recommendations from two referees.

• A writing sample of not more than 5,000 words (approximately 15 to 20 pages).

• A statement of purpose.

• A curriculum vitae (CV).

• Applicants whose primary language is not English and who graduated from a university where the language of instruction and examination was not English are required to write the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL). Minimum scores required are:

  • 600 on the paper-based test and 5 on the Test of Written English (TWE)

  • 100/120 on the Internet-based test, with at least 22/30 on the writing and speaking sections

• Admission to the PhD is based on the applicant's undergraduate records and upon the evidence of the references, writing sample, and statement.

• Admissions are selective; possession of minimum qualifications does not guarantee admission.

Completion Requirements

• Students pursue a program of study and research approved by the department.

Courses

• The minimum coursework requirements for the degree, a total of 6.75 full-course equivalents (FCEs), are as follows:

  • Year 1: ENG6999Y Critical Topographies: Theory and Practice of Contemporary Literary Studies in English

  • Year 2: ENG9400H Essential Skills Workshop Series. This course is required unless ENG8000H (no longer active) or equivalent course has already been taken.

  • Either Year 3 or Year 4: ENG9900H Teaching Literature

  • 5.0 additional graduate FCEs in English, as approved by the department. The student must complete ENG6999Y plus 2.0 FCEs in Year 1 of the program, with an average of at least A–. Students must complete all remaining courses, except for ENG9900H, by the end of Year 3 of the program, with an average of at least an A– in order to maintain good academic standing and to continue in the PhD program. In order to maintain good academic standing, and to continue in the PhD program, the student must complete each course with a grade of at least B.

• Every student must select at least 2.0 FCEs outside the chosen research area in the course of their graduate training. The student is encouraged to combine these courses into a minor research area. Graduate courses taken as part of the master's program may be counted in this connection, but not ENG6999Y Critical Topographies: Theory and Practice of Contemporary Literary Studies in English nor Credit/No Credit courses in the 9000 series.

• Course selection must meet the approval of the department.

Language Requirement

• Demonstrated reading knowledge of French by May 31 of Year 4 of registration.

• With the permission of the department, another language (including Old English) may be substituted for French provided that this other language is required by the student's research area. The completion of this requirement is recorded on the transcript with the course code LRQ7777Y and the subtitle given of the language undertaken to fulfil this requirement.

• The supervisory committee may require the student to qualify in other program-related languages as well.

Special Fields Examination

• Students are required to pass a Special Fields Examination. The examination has three components:

  • A written examination, based on a reading list drawn up in consultation with the supervisory committee

  • A short position paper, in which the student articulates the argument and stakes of the proposed thesis in light of the preparation for this written examination

  • An oral examination that engages in part with the written examination and in part with the position paper

• Students in the direct-entry PhD program generally take the Special Fields Examination no later than the end of the second session of Year 3. A second attempt of the Special Fields Examination is allowed on the recommendation of the student's committee.

• The student must have completed all requirements for the degree, exclusive of thesis research, by the end of Year 4 in order to remain in good standing in the program.

Thesis

• A candidate is required to submit a thesis on an approved subject embodying the results of original investigation which constitute a significant contribution to the knowledge of the field, and to pass an oral examination on the subject of the thesis. The normal length of a PhD thesis is approximately 75,000 words. The maximum length accepted by the department is 100,000 words.

• No later than May 15 of Year 2 of registration, the student must submit to the Associate Director, PhD, a preliminary thesis proposal, approved by the prospective supervisor. The Associate Director, PhD, appoints a supervisory committee that includes a supervisor and two other faculty members with expertise in the proposed research area. The student is required to meet with the supervisory committee within three months of submitting the preliminary proposal. An approved thesis proposal signed by all members of the supervisory committee and by the Associate Director, PhD, must be submitted by October 1 of Year 3 of registration.

• The student and the supervisor should meet regularly. The student is also required to meet at least once a year with the supervisory committee. The supervisory committee should normally approve the completed thesis before it is submitted for examination.

• The Doctoral Final Oral Examination is arranged by the department in collaboration with the School of Graduate Studies. The candidate should allow at least 10 weeks from submission of the thesis for the department to complete the arrangements for the oral examination.

Mode of Delivery: In person
Program Length: 5 years full-time (typical registration sequence: Continuous)
Time Limit: 7 years full-time